Your Reason To Live
by Genji Maeko
Summary: Akemi has spent her entire life running, yet she has only been scared once in her life. One single, lonely time, she was afraid. Afraid of loosing him, of loosing the redheaded boy she had grown so attached to in her childhood. Gaara x OC
1. Chapter One: Memories

Woo! Hey! Finally posted.. Hehe. Anyway, chapter one of my fanfic on Sabaku no Gaara. Hope you enjoy it!

And a bunch of people are posting this, so I will too I suppose...

**I Do NOT own Naruto or its characters. Akemi, Daichi, and Yuki, are mine, only.**

_Special Note: Akemi means 'Beautiful Dawn' while Akuma means 'Evil One' _

**Chapter One  
**_Memories_

_The city was lost to darkness, almost everyone within it lost to sleep, as white crystals fluttered outside their homes in a never ending snow fall, the clouds forever hanging above the skies, blocking the moon from its full glow. It was nothing new, in this country. The sunrise always seemed dull here, and the moon never quite as gorgeous as it might have been elsewhere. This country was nothing but a wasteland of never ending snowflakes, nothing more, nothing less. She didn't like it. _

_The small girl, just barely able to look up over the window seal to the world outside, didn't like the emptiness. The loss of warmth. The village was as cold as the people that lived within it. Though she was simply too young to understand, she knew her distaste, and she knew she disliked it here. _

_However, with the sound of her room's door sliding open as quietly as possible, she dropped such thoughts. Her head and body turning to look at the opposite side of the room, where an unmistakable figure stood, his white hair bright compared to the darkness of the room, and his pale skin making him stick out just enough for her to recognize him._

_"Yuki-san! You came back already?" she questioned in a childish curiosity, her eyes filled with silent happiness. The older man, at least twenty years older then the four year old, smiled warmly at her, nodding. _

_"Hello, Akemi-chan, I did not expect you up. I was afraid I'd have to wake you," he answered with that same, warm voice he always seemed to possess. The white-haired girl nodded slowly, frowning. "I...Had a nightmare," she murmured softly, casting her garnet gaze downward. "Th-the villagers were calling me 'Akuma' again and... And I didn't understand why. I-I.. I don't think they like me much," she whispered softly, her eyes stinging as tears gathered in their corners. _

_Yuki's smile dropped, his eyes sofened considerably. "Akemi -" _

_"You're leaving, aren't you?" Yuki was dumbfounded, staring at her with his eyes wide. He didn't want her to find out like that. He had hoped she wouldn't. "In my dream," she continued, still looking down at the hard floors at her feet. "You stopped when you saw them. And - and I looked at you, and smiled, but you just walked away. You walked far away, until I couldn't watch you anymore, Yuki," her hands had risen by then, balled into loose fists as they brush away the tears that had gathered. "Why are you leaving me, Yuki-san?" _

_"Akemi, that is why I'm here," he began slowly, moving forward until he stood before the small girl. Bending down to her height, his hands cupped her tiny cheeks, raising her head to look into her blazing eyes. He smiled. "Do you know why I call you Akemi? While everyone else calls you Akuma?" he asked slowly, softly, watching her eyes as they filled with a mixture of forgotten sadness and curiosity. Slowly, her head shook from side to side, her eyes never leaving his. "You remind me of someone, I once knew and loved. A special person. Her name was Akemi, you see, and you... You remind me of her so much, just how you are. You're so kind, Akemi-chan, and these people, they want to change that. They want you to turn into Akuma. That's why, I'm leaving," he paused, watching closely as her tears gathered in her eyes again._

_"No, Yuki-san! You can't! I don't want to be Akuma either!" she shouted, the tears spilling down her cheeks as her eyes shut, tight. She shook from his embrace, her small arms throwing themselves around the man's neck and pulling herself close to him. "Please, Yuki-san, take me with you. I-I.. I want to be Akemi, your Akemi, please, don't leave me here. Don't leave me alone!" she sobbed into his shoulder, standing on her toes just to get at the proper height to hug him so tight. "Please, Yuki..." her voice faded, muffled by his shoulder. The man smiled gently, for a moment unmoving as his mind was lost to thought. _

_Finally, his arms slipped around her fragile form, and he lifted her with him as he stood, nodding his head. "Alright, Akemi, shhh. You can... Be my Akemi."_

The forest was silent, that sort of silence that one could never find around many people, the silence of animals, with their occasional footfalls breaking a twig, or every now and again the small sounds they made to communicate with one another. They were lost, lost in their own little world, where humans simply could not reach. The presence of two such humans didn't bother them, they ignored the flare and occasional flicker of light from the fire - the man sitting cross-legged before it was non-existent, and the girl sitting high in the trees, resting upon a thick branch, was simply peaceful. She was unmoving, silent, and calm as her thoughts rolled away to distant memories. Her distant, garnet eyes took no notice to the occasional movement within the shadows, nor the light emitting from the fire below, giving her cold pale skin a sort of natural, healthy glow. In reality, one she didn't possess.

Far below, her companion raised his black gaze, watching her, the way she lounged against the trunk of the tree carelessly, while on leg laid stretched out along the branch, the other arched upward, so that her foot was placed right beside the other leg's knee. She looked, somehow, peaceful in her loneliness. It left him curious, and her mysterious. No matter that, he wanted to know everything. He wanted to know what she was thinking about. What always made her go so cold and distant from the world.

Slowly, his head shook. He'd never dare ask her again.

So, he left her to her thoughts, while she traveled to another time in her mind, leaving him alone to his own.

_"What do you think, Akemi? Suitable, for the time being?" Yuki asked softly, turning his head to the side to view his young comrade who sat comfortably on his back, her tiny arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Glancing around with wide eyes, she nodded, smiling. "Suitable," she agreed. Yuki smiled. "Why don't you go ahead and explore, eh? We should be able to stay here for a few days, at the least. Just don't wander too far, alright?" The young Akemi, now an entire year older, smiled wide, nodding her head. It wasn't often that Yuki allowed her to wander about on her own. As it does with most children, she felt grown up, suddenly, allowed the walk around by herself. Gently, she slid down his back, landing softly as he turned to her._

_"Alright then. Don't wander far, and I'll come find you, once I have a place for us to stay. Who knows, maybe you'll find a friend or two here," he added in, almost hopeful. Even if their life was far from great, always on the run, he had hoped the young girl would at least lead a half decent life, with friends, and...Well, family wise, he was all she was ever going to get. He hoped that was enough._

_The white-haired girl nodded her head, giggling softly. "Alright, Yuki-san! I won't go far, promise! Come find me soon, okay?" She called, already sprinting off down the streets and calling over her shoulder. By the time she could finish, she was too far away for him to reply. Instead, he merely chuckled, turning and walking off in another direction. _

_Soon the tiny girl turned onto another street, eyes wide and wandering around the foreign village, watching the many people and children wandering about, some laughing and playing, while others merely talked and gossiped with each other before their homes. In all truth, it was like all of the other villages around. Well, until a bit of screaming caught her attention. Her head turned quickly, only to spot two figures, small, in the near distance. They looked her age, maybe a year or two older. They were distressed, one flowing with fear, the other, sadness. She could feel it pulsing, even from the distance, and curiosity was getting the best of her. She wanted to know what was wrong. Running forward, towards the two, she noticed the one emitting fear was a young girl. She was likely older then Akemi, do to her height, and she was the one screaming- anything from shrieks and curses - while her upper body flailed in the air, her feet seeming unable to move, while the boy before her looked down, as if on the verge of tears. In confused Akemi more, fueling her curiosity as she got closer, and closer. However, as soon as she began to come upon them, the girl seemed mobile again, flailing and tripping to get away, until she finally got balance and darted away from the boy. She paused only to shout 'monster', before sprinting by Akemi. This slowed her steps, her head turning to watch the older girl's shrinking form. _

_It was only then, that the feeling ingulphed her, the loneliness, the sadness. Such a deep, terrible feeling that made her own heart cringe. It took a moment, for her to confirm that it was indeed coming from him; the maroon-haired boy, glaring down at the ground beneath his feet. "Why am I the one that has to be the monster?" he questioned in a murmur, his voice stitched with sadness. Slowly, Akemi turned to him. The mere site made her heart thump with pain. Was that really... How he felt? For a moment, she had questioned her own 'abilities'. She had never felt someone hurt so badly. _

_"But, you're not a monster," she whispered softly, as if confirming it with herself, yet half afraid of being heard. The boy's eyes widened, just remembering why the sand had allowed the girl to go. Slowly, his head lifted, and his aquamarine eyes looked to the new girl. There was so much pain in those eyes, slowly pulsing to her, that she flinched noticeably. This seemed to anger him, slightly, the sand that had previously been holding the other girl, suddenly flowing, softly, up her bare legs. "See!" he shouted, looking away, hurt in his eyes. "You're afraid of me, just like them!"_

_"No, I'm not afraid of anyone! Just... Your pain," she spoke in a whisper during the last but, trying her best to ignore the sand while doing so. "It.. makes me hurt, too." The sand seemed to stop at her words, dropping from her legs and ankles. She smiled, moving over to him carefully. Still, he refused to look up at her again. Smiling, she stopped in front of him, lowering her upper body and tilting her head, just so she could look into his eyes once more. They hurt to look at, no doubt, but she liked the color, the vibrant hue. He stared back, unmoving, just watching her own red eyes._

_He smiled, slowly, sniffing. "I-I... You have pretty eyes," he muttered, looking away with the softest shade of pink touching his cheeks. She giggled in reply. "Your eyes remind me of the sky," she replied softly, her body straightening while her head tilted back, to look upward. "When the sun has just come up, and night it still here." He smiled, though this time faintly. At his silence, she looked back down at him. _

_"My name's Akemi," she said , rather random, but polite nonetheless. To this, he just stared. She blinked, smile fading. "What's yours?" _

_His eyes widened slightly, as if shocked that she actually wanted to know his name - or maybe, that you didn't know already. "Gah-Gaara..." he said hesitantly. She smiled again. "Nice to meet you, Gaara-kun," she replied brightly, leaning forward, and placing a small, child's kiss, upon his cheek. He smiled back, blushing yet again, causing her to giggle_.

The two were inseparable then, only leaving each other when Yuki called the white-haired girl inside. Gaara was even invited to dinner on two occasions. The first time, he had been surprised, as if it were the first time he'd been invited to _anything_. She mused that he hadn't. Perhaps, that had been why she adored him so much. He was new to so much; kindness, friendship, a simply touch. He was innocent, in more then one way. Different from her completely. Soon, she had become everything to him. He wasn't lonely, someone truly accepted him other than his uncle. Someone to play with, and hold on to.

_Maybe that's why._.. She shook her head, shaking all thoughts from her mind in ignorant determination. She couldn't stand to believe she made him like that. Perhaps, deep inside her heart half of her believed it. But to do so, she'd hate herself. She couldn't allow that. Her will to live would be demolished, and it would be pointless. All of it.

"Oi, Akemi!" a light, male voice suddenly shouted up to her, catching her attention. Turning slowly to stare down at the boy sitting before the fire, she could make out the small form of a smile. She returned it, though she doubted he could see it. "Want anything to eat?"

For a moment, she was silent, thinking it over... And then, shook her head. "Thank you Daichi, but not tonight. I have... Somewhere to be," she called down, getting to hew feet in one easy motion. She didn't wait for his reply, simply because he never protested. She came and went as she pleased, always seeming to find the boy in the best of times - saving him. In return, he offered her food and friendly company.

In fact, the first few times that she showed up, they didn't share their names. They only sat before the fire, silent, and enjoying the others company. It was only recently that she trusted him with a name to call her by. It was progress, in his opinion. Who knew, maybe, one day, he'd be more then company. He silently hoped so.

The streets, though not as crowded as mid-day, were still filled with the hustle and bustle of the last sales of the day, before everyone closed down, and disappeared for an evenings rest. However, with the mere site of the redheaded boy heading down the street, the small crowd quieted, as if their very breathing may bother him in some way. Some stared at him in silent fear, others, either brave or just stupid, glared at him darkly, and even muttering a few insults here and there. He was used to it all by now - the looks, the stares, the silence, and the great sighs once he had passed. Once, it had bothered him. Now, it just seemed normal. Of course, he would have liked to wait until later, but the young shinobi was restless this evening. Pacing in his room simply couldn't occupy him. So, here he was, wandering the streets in a calm silence, ignoring the harsh words and whispers expertly.

It wasn't until his site was out of their view, that they finally went back to what they were doing, most acting as if it had never happened, while others went into a frenzy of insults towards him. Akemi, hiding high up upon one of the many rooftops of Suna, Hidden Village of Sand, glared down at them all. She was never one to hate anyone, or even get worked up, but the way they acted angered her. Sure, a time ago, she had been oblivious to the abuse. She merely noted their fear of him, and the pain in his aquamarine eyes, and tried to make it better. Now, she felt sorry. Sorry she hadn't stayed. Sorry she hadn't have been a better friend.

Over the years, she had grown into a fine, young shinobi, though her expertise included only medical jutsus, technique to hide her self, and very, very few offensive jutsu. At the time, she could never have brought it upon herself to kill someone. But now, she found herself wishing these people dead. All of them. For fearing him, for hurting him in just the right ways. He had no defense against such attacks.

This bothered her even more a year ago, the first time she had gained the courage to visit the old friend. She was surprised, honestly, at how much he had changed... His innocence seemed to have disappeared, as it does with most growing children. But even so, he looked _different_. No feeling came from him, and his eyes seemed hollow, only showing his need for death on the occasion. She had watched him for days, studying the new boy that had seemed to take the place of her childhood friend. It hurt of course, watching him, and seeing him like that. But she didn't leave Suna, not for a full month. She merely tailed behind him, a lost figure in a crowd of people. It even seemed, sometimes, he knew she was there, his dark eyes glancing up and seeming to look straight at her. And in his eyes, she could tell, he _knew_ someone was there. She wondered if he knew who...

Since then, Akemi had returned to Suna whenever the memories seemed to be troubling her every-day life. This was just such a return. And she found, like Gaara, she had become accustomed to their insults and hurtful words...


	2. Chapter Two: Human

Human

The night before would have seemed incredibly boring to anyone watching the young medical-nin. None of them understood it. They couldn't comprehend the fascination, the intrigue that filled her, just crouching down upon a high rooftop and watching him. Watching the stillness of his form, the coldness in his eyes, and the murderous intent that raged off of him on certain nights. It was as close as she'd ever get to being with him. And if that was all she could get, then so be it. She couldn't bring herself to actually encounter him. But, at the same time, she could never get her mind to forget about him, and leave him completely.

She couldn't leave him completely alone.

So, she stayed that night, watching him as he stared up into the moon in complete silence, totally still. She was used to it. On her first time, she had thought him dead or asleep – something. Now, she as accustomed to it. In fact, it worried her whenever he moved about Suna. Those nights, were the times his body radiated murder.

Watching him kill was strange… It was, though horrible to say, refreshing. Though the vision was never welcomed, the look on his face afterwards made her… Happy. There was feeling, and emotion, though only glinting there for a moment. It was soon after witnessing his messy killings, that she realized how much she really missed him. She didn't care about the people he killed, who would miss them, who would cry for them, or who would suffer over the loss. As long as she could see _something _in his features, she was happy.

It made her sick to her stomach.

Even now, watching that exited glint in his teal eyes, made her insides squirm, while a smile curved her lips. Slowly, her eyes moved away from the man's covered form, and returned to his face, jus watching, and ignoring the clamping of his fist. Following soon after, blood splattered, and the emotion seeped away.

Akemi sighed softly, closing her eyes, and gripping the branch, on which she was now crouched. The Sand Siblings of Sunagakure had been gathered early that morning to be sent on a mission. Obviously, it was nothing big, as they traveled without their sensei, a common occurrence. Gaara, of course, had just completed said mission in exactly one hour, if not including the time it took them to travel this far.

"Good, no we can start heading –" the oldest of the three, Temari, had begun to speak, only to be stopped quite abruptly but a normally silent Gaara.

"Not yet," he stated shortly, his voice cold and commanding. Even if he was merely their baby brother, the older two went silent, looking to him as if waiting an explanation. Of course, the red head didn't give one.

This wasn't uncommon, in all truth. It was often, normally after Gaara had killed, that he would sense Akemi's presence about them. He always managed to stop dead in his tracks to search for her. Surely it had begun to unnerve his siblings, but it wasn't often that he cared for what they thought.

Kankuro, as expected, was the first to pop. "What the hell – You need to get over your damn paranoia. Let's go, we can get home before it gets late if we leave –"

"Not yet," Gaara repeated, breaking his brother off this time. This only angered the purple-faced boy more.

"Hell, Gaara! There isn't anything – or any_body – _here!"

The younger brother seemed to be ignoring his rant, his eyes having already focused to the thinner branch Akemi perched. Her black rimmed eyes narrowed into a heated glare, looking right at her but seeing nothing. He knew something was there, and it angered him.

Without a second thought, sand had enveloped him, a move Akemi recognized the moment it had begun.

Her red eyes narrowed, darting to the side as sand gathered upon the very branch she sat. Processing what was about to happen quickly, her body shifted slightly, then pushed off, her knees straightening to throw herself off the branch and to another.

Below, Temari's eyes were wide. She'd seen the sudden movement, and no doubt, Gaara had to.

Akemi's heart raced, the calm, collected thought that was needed to keep the jutsu in tacked was slowly slipping away from her troubled mind. She needed to settle down. Gaara couldn't follow her movements, as long as nothing around her gave it away. The branch had to be too thick to move and…

And his eyes had already shifted down; staring at Akemi with anger, she had not seen in some time. Gaara was _watching _her, without actually seeing her. His eyes almost seemed to be able to dig holes into her red irises.

"Kankuro," Temari muttered from below, capturing the middle brother's attention. His eyes cast to her, questioning her. "Look."

Kankuro wasted no time, lifting his gaze to follow her own, until they froze upon the figure high into the trees. Shadowed as a silhouette, they could only make out the outline, but to their brother, looking down upon the figure, he could see everything.

It only took a moment for Akemi to realize Gaara was digging holes into her eyes. He could see her. And he _recognized_ her. She didn't know if she should be happy about it, or scared. Her insides squeezed, her body acting on it's own. Pushing itself off the branch, it turned landing and flinging itself away again, away from them, and away from _him._

Until finally, her shadow was gone, the older siblings left to gawk after her, while the youngest merely stared. It wasn't common for Gaara to be caught off guard or confused. And even now, no one would know about it, with his cold face twisted to stone.

By the time Akemi had managed to get her body to stop, hours had past, and night had set in. Sitting across the branch, the forest creaked and moaned with sounds, animals chirping and moving about as they found a place for the night, or were just leaving their homes for the nightly meal.

Whichever it may be, the darkness seemed full of life.

Breathing in a large breath, she let it out slowly. Even after so long of movement, her body hardly felt tired. Her mind, however, was another story. It craned, and thumped with pain from its racing thoughts. That alone made her feel warn out.

She needed to sit, and think, and sort it all out. She needed company… She wanted food…

There was only one place to go.

"Eh, I thought you' be back early this time," he murmured, sitting at his normal place before the fire, his legs folded before him as he lounged there. Glancing up at her form across the fire, he grinned wide in greeting.

Akemi smiled in return, though it had no meaning behind it, and nodded her head in silence. Moving around the flames, she came to a sit beside him.

"Always a clever one, Daichi. Always easy to find to," she commented softly, glancing at the brown-haired boy from the corners of her eyes. He was clever, though his way of acting would never show it. He could have been a scholar if he just tried. But, of course, he'd waste that in this forest and deserts and God knows where else, wandering as if he had no purpose. She shook her head inwardly at the thought. "Have anything to eat?"

The older boy didn't skip a beat, reaching into his bag and tossing her an apple in one fluent motion. She caught it just as easily, taking to no time to bite into the smooth texture. Again, silence.

It stayed that way for some time, the forest, fire, and occasional crunch the only sound. Slowly, Daichi spoke up, his voice suddenly serious. "I ran into some ninja today," he commented. Another long silence passed, this time, not a sound escaped from either of them.

"Oh? What happened?" She asked slowly, trying to sound uninterested. Of course, it didn't work well.

"There were three of them. Our age, I think. Probably genin. But they seemed dangerous. They stopped me in the forest when I tried to pass."

Akemi's eyes had stopped upon her young companion, watching his features and waiting for him to continue. Seeing this from the corners of his own eyes, he did.

"They said they were searching for someone, likely a spy to the three. Well, the girl did anyway, she did most of the talking."

Her eyes closed, and for a moment, she questioned Daichi's loyalty. Though smart, he was also a bit of a coward. If they seemed to be a possible threat, he may have told about her… The could only hope he wasn't.

Suddenly, a chuckle broke her thoughts, causing her eyes to fly open and look to him again. "No worries, Akemi," he spoke softly, placing a hand upon her shoulder in a friendly manor. "I told 'em I hadn't seen anyone since my friend – you – left a few weeks ago. I think the red head was suspicious, but they left any way." He shrugged carelessly, grinning again.

Akemi chuckled softly, elbowing his side affectionately. "Knew I could count on ya, Daichi."

Just then, his eyes suddenly darkened, his face falling. "No, you were worried I'd betrayed you," he muttered. Another thing with Daichi: his mood could shift easily. "Akemi, I like to call you a friend of mine, a companion. You have helped me more way then one, and saved my life more then once. I have yet to repay you, and I wish I could. But… I don't know how," his head tilted back, his black eyes looking up into the sky. "When I'm around you, we're so close, yet you look so distant to me, Akemi-san. Your sentences are short, if you talk at all. You never sleep down here, around the fire, even though it'd be warmer. It's like… You don't trust me."

"Daichi, I –" she began, raising her hand to place it on his shoulder. He merely shrugged it off, shaking his head.

"No, let me finish, Akemi-san." Her mouth had opened to say something else, then closed, to allow him to continue. "You're so kind, and so friendly. Even when someone attacks you, you refuse to kill them, right? You've never hurt someone that bad, have you? You show everyone that kindness and respect, and you always manage to smile, even to the meanest of people. Yet, your eyes… They show so much pain and sorrow, like your heart aches sometimes. That's when you seem most distant, you know. You seem lost. And I want to help you find your way out… But I can't do that. You won't let me. You won't let me in. It hurts me, now."

For a second, she thought he was done. Only to have him start again once he had taken in a few quick breaths.

"You won't tell me why they were looking for you, and you won't tell me why you always look so far away. You won't share your thoughts or memories or anything. I want to know so bad… I really care about you, Akemi. And I need to know if you feel the same… Or how you feel at all," he finally finished, his head dropping between his shoulders as he hunched forward.

He listened as the sound of movement reached his ears, guessing she had stood up. It grabbed at his attention, forcing his head up to look directly into the young, scarlet eyes. "Yet, Daichi, I have hurt someone like that. Someone I cared for deeply. I won't allow that again. I won't get close to you, because being close to you will only get you hurt. I feel trapped, right now. That's how I feel." His body seemed to flinch, the coldness of her voice getting to him. Inside, her body did the same, yet outside she kept her stone cold look. Watching Gaara over the years must have taught her something.

She was glad. She needed to do this now.

"I feel I have to be this way. I have to push people away. If I let you in, you get hurt. That's how I show I care. Ignorance is the only way I can save you, right now." Taking in a sharp breath, her hand reached out, placing its palm upon his warm forehead.

His eyes quickly closed, as if trying to remember the simple touch and the cold chill that ran from her fingertips.

"You're… cold," he murmured, mainly to himself. Akemi nodded, nonetheless.

"My body is numb. I have a heart, I have blood, I have skin… Yet my body is cold. What kind of human am I, if I make others flinch from a mere touch?" her hand pulled away, lowering to her side as her body lifted into a stand. "The only answer I can think of is I'm _not _human. Forget about me, Daichi-kun. I'm not worth it."


	3. Chapter Three: Gaarakun

_Woo, Chapter three, eh? Yeah.. Ur.. Hope you enjoy it.. And my apologies for how short the last was. I'll attempt to make this one longer, 'kay?_

_Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, you could bet your ass I wouldn't be wasting my time writing this… _

Chapter Three

Gaara-Kun

Akemi hadn't stayed long after that. The two had remained in complete silence for the longest time. When Daichi didn't say anything, she concluded that the point had been made.

Now she was really alone, with only one place to go: Sunagakure. Why wouldn't she go there? After all, her life was there. For, what was there left in her life, if not to just be next to him? To keep her promise was everything.

Though, for now, she would wait. Going now would get her caught. Besides, she had too much on her mind. Using her cloaking jutsu then would be pointless.

She was tired. Her mind wouldn't allow her to sleep. It was just like before. He was haunting her dreams yet again.

Did he even know? She doubted it. The more she thought, the more she doubted it all. She doubted his recognizing her. She doubted he even remembered the little girl that had once been her. She doubted she could take this much longer.

She doubted he still had it.

A heavy, tired sigh left her lips, her body finally falling back into a tree, and then lowering into a sit at its roots. If she couldn't sleep, at least she could rest.

_"Akemi? Akemi, are you done yet?" The voice was no longer simply warm and loving, but now fatherly in the little girl's ears. She turned away from the bathroom mirror, still fumbling with the short brown cloak's wide tie. _

_"Yuki-san, will you help me with this?" She called through the door timidly._

_After a bit of muffled shuffling, the door slid open, revealing a smiling male standing there. Seeing her small, distressed form standing upon the bathroom counter, he chuckled, nodding his head. "Of course," he finally replied, wandering over to her and taking both ends of the cloak to tie upon her shoulder. _

_"Where did you happen to get this?" He asked, curiosity filling his voice as he concentrated on the knot._

_"Gaara-kun gave me it!" She chirped happily, grinning. "He said that in the desert, it's a great form of protection." Yuki smiled warmly, nodding his head to show her he was listening. "And, he said, that with my skin being so pale, I'd probably get sunburn in the desert – So he gave me it," she finished, grinning as wide as ever._

_"You really like Gaara-kun, don't you Akemi?" He asked softly, pulling the knot tight to make sure it didn't fall. The girl paused for a moment's thought, and then nodded._

_"He's sweet," she agreed, looking over at the knot, then back at Yuki. "But, I don't think the villagers like him very much… Do you know why, Yuki-san?" _

_The older man's face had fallen at her question, looking almost grim. Slowly, he nodded. "Yes, Akemi-chan, I do. People are ignorant. They fear what they don't understand. And they certainly don't know Gaara-kun the way we do," he spoke softly, a sad smile upon his lips, as if thinking of another thing as he spoke. _

_The small girl smiled. "Yes, that's it. Maybe, one day, I can get them to understand." _

_Yuki's smile returned, his mouth opening to reply, when an urgent knocking pounded through the room. Both looked startled, Yuki grabbing a hold of Akemi to bundle her into his arms._

_Moving out of the bathroom and into the main room, he dropped Akemi onto the mattress, and then walked to the door. For a moment, there was only silence, and then a burst of someone's voice._

_"Yuki-san! I'm Ichiro, grandson to Kamio Jiro – He's sent me to tell you –" there was a break in his sentence, and then a few muffled whispers. Akemi sat in silence, a small sadness tugging at her heart. _

_This sort of thing had happened often and on many occasions and soon after, Yuki would take them both away, to a new village to stay. They had only been here for a couple weeks, a month at the most, but remembering Gaara now made her heart feel heavy and begin to ache like his had when the two had first met. _

_After only a few moments of these whispers, Yuki reappeared, his face showing a bit of worry, mixed in with confusion. Glancing to the small girl, he offered his smallest smile. _

_"Common Akemi-chan. We need to be going." _

Akemi's scarlet eyes snapped open with a start, only to be greeted with the blinding rays of the sun. Flinching out of their burning light, she blinked repeatedly. _Damn… Maybe I did fall asleep…_

Grumbling soft, morning curses, her back arched as her arms stretched over her head. Hearing the soft, satisfying cracks of her bones, she smiled.

In no way had she slept nicely, of course, but she had slept. That was enough in her mind to smile about. Until, a sudden tickle ran down her leg. Her eyes scrunched up to the feeling.

Opening one, lonesome eye, she gazed down upon her leg, watching silently as the soft, last bits of sand fell from her legs and to the forest ground below.

"Gaara," she murmured in quiet realization. Standing quickly, her eyes flung themselves every-which-way in search of the redheaded boy, only to see nothing but the cursed trees before her. Sure that the boy was nowhere in site, she let out the breath she had been unaware of holding in. She didn't understand why the thought of him being there made her so nervous.

_He was here,_ she thought bitterly, looking down upon the tiny grains of sand lost in the dirt. _And he wanted me to know it. _

Running her long, slender fingers though her soft white hair, her face twisted into a troubled expression, her mind running with thoughts once more. One single thought broke through the rest, able to show itself to her conscious mind. _Sooner or later, that boy is going to drive me mad._

"Hn… A female, you say?" The voice was older, much older then the three ninja that sat far from its maker. Temari and Kankuro nodded in reply, while Gaara remained completely silent and unmoving, lost to his thoughts.

"Any ideas as to why she was there?"

Temari was the first to speak up, "No, Sir. Gaara was the first to realize her presence –"

"He's been sensing her a lot lately, for the past few missions, maybe before that," Kankuro suddenly cut in, getting his own words into the conversation. He may have continued, had the Kazekage's attention not left him, to travel to the youngest sibling.

"Is that so, Gaara…? May I acquire as to the reason you did not report it?"

Gaara's aqua eyes slowly lifted, staring back at his father with obvious distaste.

"Because the matter is of no concern to you – any of you," he replied coldly, only leaving the Kazekage's eye to look to his siblings once.

"How can you say that!" Kankuro suddenly shouted, his eyes narrowed at his brother. "She was watching –"

"- Me," Gaara ended the sentence, without even glancing to his brother this time.

"And how do you know that?" Kankuro retorted dryly, as Temari and their father merely watched the argument with hidden interest in the answer.

Gaara, however, did not intend to give one. Instead, he got to his feet, and disappeared from the room, the only signs of his being there the twirling grains of sand, left to flutter in the air.

The Kazekage did not look pleased.

"Temari, Kankuro. Watch him closely from now on. I want to know when he leaves, where he goes, how often he goes, and what he does there – got it? One of you will be watching him at all times," he ordered.

"But –" the two started to protest at the same time, only to have the Kazekage's dark eyes settle upon the two. Reluctantly, they nodded their heads, bowing soon after.

Temari and Kankuro returned to their home in complete silence. At the site of their missing brother, they both sighed.

"We shouldn't be surprised. He's only home during the day when we have no missions," The elder sister stated the obvious.

Kankuro rolled his eyes, annoyance evidence in his purple-painted features.

"Well, should we look for him? Those are our orders…"

Temari wheeled on him, her hands on her hips in a particularly feminine fashion. "You know as well as I do that if Gaara doesn't want to be found, he won't be. Don't worry about it. The Kazekage wants more information about that girl, and he knows Gaara won't tell him anything he knows. But, if Gaara finds her –" she smirked, shrugging her shoulders, "I doubt she'll be much of a problem anymore."

_Gaara-kun, _Akemi's dark eyes seemed illuminated by the moonlight that streaked into the room. It looked just as it had in her childhood. Of course, she never expected Gaara to be one for decorating, but… The room hadn't changed at all; the same (now bloodstained) carpeting, the same old, unneeded bed, with the same, old, sand covered teddy bear laying upon one of the neatly placed pillows. Of course, the toy chest had long been thrown out, and the lone stand setting to the side of the room was now completely bare. Akemi stared at this for a moment, her eyes softening.

_"Com'on Akemi! It's in here," A smaller, happy Gaara called down the hall to the while-haired child, waving her towards him. Akemi giggled, running down the hall towards what she supposed to be his room. "Coming, Gaara-kun!" _

_Watching his red head disappear around the doorway, Akemi quickened her run, soon reaching the end of the hall, and turning into the room sharply. Inside, she found Gaara standing directly in front of her. However, he was looking away, leaning upon his nightstand and staring at something. Seeing her enter, he grinned shyly, watching as she moved to his side. _

_Moving closer, she slowly discovered a picture frame, a young woman pictured inside. For a fleeting moment, she thought it was Temari, only to realize the woman pictured was much older then Gaara's sister._

_"Gaara-kun! She's so pretty!" She said, finally seeing the full image, and leaning closer to get a better look. Gaara seemed to blush at this, moving aside for her to get a perfect view. _

_"Do you... Really think so?" _

_The girl nodded, smiling as she examined the motionless woman. Gaara was silent a moment or two, before speaking softly, "She's my mother." _

_Akemi's eyes widened, turning to the boy. "Really?" With his nodded reply, she smiled brightly, looking back to the picture. "Where is she now?" _

_Gaara was silent, before muttering a single word, "Dead." _

_Afterwards, there was only silence. Even as sadness radiated off Gaara, Akemi smiled, though sadly. "You're lucky," she whispered at last, moving over to the older of the two. "At least, you can see her. And you can know what she looked like. How pretty she was…" She smiled warmly as his sad eyes lifted to her. They always seemed so sad, so heartbroken. She'd come to love those eyes. _

_"Thank you, Akemi-chan." _

Akemi smiled at the memory fondly, stepping closer to the nightstand, until something cracked beneath her feet, startling her. Looking down, her eyebrows raised, recognizing the dark frame immediately. Her silver brown knotted together between her forehead, confusion setting hard into her features…

"Gaara-kun… What happened while I was gone?"

"Nanni? Did she just call Him Gaara-_kun?" _Kankuro's purple face turned to his sister, his eyes wide with his question. The blond haired girl had a thoughtful expression, watching the white-haired stranger through the small crack they had opened in Gaara's door.

The intruder looked young, younger then Gaara even, with startling red eyes, and snow-white hair, traits uncommon to those within Suna.

"Hey, Kankuro, does she look familiar to you?" she whispered back, ignoring her brother's question. He did as well, leaning into the door and studying the girl's features within.

"Hey, is that that one girl that Gaara hung out with when he was little?" He asked slowly, still staring at her. She had aged as Gaara had, but still, like Gaara, carried those childish features – round cheeks and a small frame. If she had been a couple of years older, he wouldn't have recognized her all together.

The girl from their childhood had been inside-out innocence – However, at the same time, her eyes had shown this great understanding of the world Kankuro's young self had never understood. Of course, he had never really pondered it. If he saw his brother's young playmate in the streets, in passing, or within their home, he merely ignored her. As did everyone else with the village. Play? With Sabaku no Gaara?

It was like playing with the devil in their ignorant eyes.

"I think so… Akemi, wasn't it?" Kankuro nodded his head to his sister's question, their eyes set intently upon the intruder.

"Well, if she's a shinobi, she's a pretty damned bad one…"

"Who is?" The sudden voice startled both siblings, each turning with surprise to their baby brother, as he stood there, arms folded, glaring at them.

"Gah-Gaara!" Temari stuttered. The older Sand Siblings had never been allowed within Gaara's room, even their uncle had told them it was off limits as children. Soon, Gaara had made it a rule of his own, though he had never said so directly. The two just _knew_.

"Someone is snooping around your room, we were just –" Kankuro began to explain themselves. Of course, Gaara paid him no mind, moving towards his door and pushing it open easily, stepping in soon after.

Both Temari and Kankuro slowly peered inside, staring wide-eyed at nothing but an empty room. The girl had vanished! And worse, made them look bad.

Gaara's eyes narrowed, turning back to his siblings.

"Leave."

The two obeyed robotically, neither finding any reason to object – not one good enough to be killed over, anyway.

Temari paused for only a minute or two, looking at Gaara with the smallest hint of worry in her young features.

"We really saw her. I think… It was that Akemi girl that you used to play with." There was no reply from her brother, as expected. She sighed, slowly pulling the door shut, and leaving the hallway soon after.

Gaara remained in his spot, standing silent and unmoving for an unnerving amount of time. Until, finally, his eyes slid to their corners, staring deeply into the shadows that connected within the corner of the room.

"Show yourself, before I make you."

_**The After Thoughts of Genji Maeko: **Woo! That was five pages of reading. And only after I re-read it, I realize how very random my chapters are.. They jump around a lot.._

_Oh well… Hope you liked it (or are liking this) anyway! Gaara and Akemi moment coming up! D Be prepared! What will happen?  
_

…_Even I have no clue! My chapters are impulses.. Ha! _

_What is Kazekage planning for our Miss Akemi-chan? What will he do when Temari and Kankuro report the sighting? Will they report it!_

_Read the next one to find out! _


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